A CROWD-FUNDING page which purported to be raising money for a legal challenge to Carmarthenshire County Council’s decision to move Ysgol Llangennech along the language continuum to Welsh-medium education from Dual Stream has been closed down without explanation.
Under a headline which asks whether the page as a scam, a statement on Families First’s Carmarthenshire page states:
“At Families like many other news outlets across Wales we received a press release about a very reputable South Wales solicitor firm wishing to challenge that both English and Welsh Medium education in Wales remains in Carmarthenshire and across Wales. Along with further information it included a link to a corresponding crowd funding page hosted on a legit met platform and was stating money being raised was to cover said legal costs for this.
“A written statement was attached from the solicitor firms Watkins and Gunn partner Michael Imperato which we published on this article and was subsequently broadcast on all of our Welsh Families Sites along with the link to the crowd funding page.
“On Saturday 8th April, we received a further email from the same source, requesting if the solicitor firms Watkins and Gunn partner Michael Imperato statement and the information provide could now be retracted as they have decided to close down the crowd funding page. No further explanation was given to why, apart from that they seem to have simply changed their minds.”
The story about the existence of the crowd funding page was given significant prominence by some online news sources, with Wales Online in particular repeating the content of the now-disappeared web page almost verbatim in a news article.
It is not the first time that Trinity Mirror titles have appeared to take sides in the Llangennech debate. The Western Mail was compelled to apologise to Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg after appearing to suggest the organisation was involved in vandalism in the town. A police statement revealed that the incidents of vandalism were not only unconnected with the school controversy, but that the victims of the vandalism did not regard them as being linked.
A check on the link to the crowd-funder page shows the original shrill statement, which was riddled with errors, has been replaced by the following headline – accompanying a picture of Ysgol Llangennech: “Case launching on Friday, 28 April 2017 at 7 p.m. GMT”
A spokesman for Watkins & Gunn said: “Watkins & Gunn were approached by members of the Keep Dual Stream at Llangennech campaign group in relation to the removal of English language education provision in Llangennech.
“As a trusted legal firm, it solely provided them with advice on the different methods of funding a Judicial Review and left the funding decision entirely in the hands of those concerned.
“It must be stressed that the firm is not involved in the Crowd Funding process that is being undertaken by the campaigners and CrowdJustice.
“In relation to Crowd Funding, if the target is reached, the funds are released to the specified law firm. If not, then the contributions are returned to source.”
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